West Region Predictions Round 1 and 2

We now move to the Wild Wild West, which is not so wild this year. Eric believes this a cakewalk region for the Dukies, which is something that has been heavily discussed up here in the 715. Speaking of the 715, if you ever watch Area Codes by Ludacris, he does not mention my college's area code. Obviously, I picked the wrong school for girls. 



16.) Hampton v. 1.) Duke- There is not much I can tell you about the Pirates. They once-upon-a-time knocked off Iowa State as a 15, that's all I know. The most interesting part of the game is to see how Kyrie Irving plays, and how they use him. My best guess is he plays 10 minutes or so. DUKE 87-62

9.) Tennessee v. 8.) Michigan- I see this to be an even matchup. Both teams really do not shoot the three well, they both cannot hit free throws, score about the same a game. The Vols turned the ball over much more than Big Blue, but they are much more of a physical presence inside. Vols get a late tip-in to win it at the buzzer. TENN 73-72

9.) Tennessee v. 1) Duke- There might be some problems for Duke with the Vols athleticism. Duke likes to run, but not at the ultra pace that Rocky Top runs, Bruce Pearl's bunch runs at. I think this one is only close if Tennessee comes out firing, but the Blue Devils make some big shots down the stretch. DUKE 85-75

12.) Memphis v. 5.) Arizona- I love how the committee says they do not schedule 'special interest' games. Yeah, let's just forget Tigers coach Josh Pastner worked in Tuscon to start his career. Both teams rely on one guy to score (Will Barton/Derrick Williams) so if either of them are off, it could be a problem. I have a feeling Williams will rise to the occasion. ARIZ 72-61

13.) Oakland v. 4.) Texas- People are starting to buy into Texas as a Final Four contender. I can see why, they looked like the best team in America during the month of January and according to Ken Pomeroy, the Horns are statistically one of the best teams in the tournament. Oakland shouldn't be overlooked with their stud NBA prospect Keith Benson and they have pushed other tournament teams to the limits in non-conference play. This one will be close all the way, but the Horns escape with the victory.  TEXAS 74-69 

5.) Arizona v. 4.) Texas- It's clear to me that if the Wildcats want to go further than the first round, they need someone other that Williams to step up. The Longhorns have four guys who scored in double figures and if you look at basic statistics, it is a dead heat. The Horns are only shooting 64.5 percent from the line which scares me, the same goes for Rick Barnes. The Cats in a close one.  ARIZ 69-66

11.) Missouri v. 6.) Cincinnati- The Tigers limped into the final part of the season with a 6-6 record, but that included two games with Kansas.  They have five players that scored in double figures which I like. The Bearcats try to win things on the defensive side of the ball because Cincy doesn't score much, doesn't hit free throws, or knock threes down. I think Mizzou's pace will fluster the Nati.  MIZZOU 70-62

14.) Bucknell v. 3.) UConn- I agree with everyone who says to beware of the Bison. This will be close game because Jim Calhoun teams seems to have those type of lapses against inferior opponents . Kemba Walker will wake this team up in the second half, but it is another nail biter for the Huskies.  UCONN 67-65

11.) Missouri v. 3.) UConn- Despite the seed differences, I think this is an even matchup, but I still like the Huskies. The close game with the Bison will be a make up call for the young Huskies, and the legend of Kemba will continue to grow into the second weekend.  UCONN 77-65

10.) Penn State v. 7.) Temple- This has the chance to be a game where it will be boring until the final two minutes. Both of these teams do not score that much. While the Owls have a balanced attack with five guys scoring over 10 a game, the Lions are led by Taylor Battle and Jeff Brooks who do the majority of scoring. I usually go with the team with more scorers plus the Owls were on fire for the end of the season. TEMP 54-47

15.) Northern Colorado v. 2.) San Diego Sate- In the game that could feature the two longest first names in the tournament, it feels like a school like Northern Colorado used to be like UW-Eau Claire and they grew into a D1 school.  I now dream the Blugolds will be in the Big Dance by 2035. That being said Aztecs win.  SDSU 80-62

7. Temple v. 2.) San Diego State- You might not know this but going off of pure statistics, these teams are fairly even. It comes down to the players at that point and the Owls do not have a player like Kawhi Leonard. This one goes down to the wire with the Aztecs pulling it out.  SDSU 68-66

-Charlie.